Guild of Writers

Revision as of 04:58, 4 March 2012

This guide is about how to install several instances of the "old" Uru, as it is used to play offline and by some Shards. It is unrelated to Myst Online: Uru Live. You will need to buy Uru: Complete Chronicles if you want to follow this tutorial.

I want to show you a way how to run several Uru installations side-by-side and how Uru with all its extensions runs reasonably well on Windows Vista and Windows 7 systems. Since I don't have an English installation available, some paths and messages might be a bit different. I further assume that UAC (User Access Control) is enabled if it exists and that your PC has not yet been broken by useless tuning software and similar garbage.

Further I assume that Uru is not yet installed. If this is the case, you first have to clean up: First you have to rename your Uru: Complete Chronicles (CC) installation directory so that it won't be changed (you can add "_old" to the name or something like that). Then you insert your Path of the Shell installation CD and uninstall Uru - your files won't be touched as you renamed the directory.

This guide is independent from the patches later applied to the installation: You can either use it offline and install Drizzle and the Offline KI, or make it an online game with a appropriate patcher (for example for the Deep Island Shard).

Installation on Windows XP and older

You can simply follow the normal installation process on these operating systems. Keep the standard installation path. After installing both Uru and the TPOTS extension, starting with the Desktop icon "Computer", go to "C:\Program Files\Ubi Soft\Cyan Worlds" or, if you have a 64bit OS, to "C:\Program files (x86)\Ubi Soft\Cyan Worlds". Rename "Uru Ages Beyond Myst" or "Myst Uru Complete Chronicles" (the exact name depends on your version of the disc) according to how you plan to use this installation (for example, "Uru offline" or "Deep Island Shard"). Again start the TPOTS installation. It will offer an uninstallation. Confirm that (it will only remove some broken registry and start menu items, since you renamed the Uru folder).

Open your URU folder. In case of an offline installation, rename the "UruSetup.exe" to "Uru.exe" (you might have to remove an existing "Uru.exe" to do this).

I suggest to now make a backup of the renamed Uru directory, so that in case you break something you can quickly restore it, or run several installations alongside of each other (e.g. one for playing offline, one for the Shard) by simply copying the backup back into another folder.

If you are setting up a client for a Shard, you can now follow the normal installation instructions. If it is meant to stay an offline game, you can extend your Uru using patches like the Offline KI, or use Drizzle to download and convert ages.

Installation on Windows Vista and newer

If, when you insert the CD, a window pops up asking you to run the installation, close it. Double-click on "Compter" or your Desktop and then do a right-click on the drive your CD is in. In the context menu, choose "Open". Right-click on the file "Setup.exe" or "Setup" which has the book icon. In the context menu, choose "Run as administrator" and confirm the UAC dialogue. All the further installation dialogues should simply be accepted. Finish the installation. If you get an error saying the program might not have been installed correctly, tell it "The program has been installed correctly".

Now install TPOTS the same way. DO NOT start Uru.

Starting with the Desktop icon "Computer", go to "C:\Program Files\Ubi Soft\Cyan Worlds" or, if you have a 64bit OS, to "C:\Program files (x86)\Ubi Soft\Cyan Worlds". Right-click on the "Uru Ages Beyond Myst" or "Myst Uru Complete Chronicles" (the exact name depends on your version of the disc) directory and in the context menu, choose "Cut". Close the window.

Now double-click on "Computer" again. Go to "C:\Users\%Username%\". Right-click on "Saved Games" (the directory might be called different, again, I don't know the English name) and choose "Paste". Confirm the UAC dialogue. You can now rename the directory you pasted (which is now in the "Saved Games" folder) as you wish. This is especially useful if you want to run more than one installation. Again start the TPOTS installation. It will offer an uninstallation. Confirm that (it will only remove some broken registry and start menu items, since the Uru folder moved somewhere else).

Open your URU folder. In case of an offline installation, rename the "UruSetup.exe" to "Uru.exe" (you might have to remove an existing "Uru.exe" to do this).

I suggest to now make a backup of the renamed Uru directory, so that in case you break something you can quickly restore it, or run several installations alongside of each other (e.g. one for playing offline, one for the Shard) by simply copying the backup back into another folder.

If you are setting up a client for a Shard, you can now follow the normal installation instructions. If it is meant to stay an offline game, you can extend your Uru using patches like the Offline KI, or use Drizzle to download and convert ages.

Starting URU

Create a shortcut to the file "Uru.exe" on your desktop. Start URU with this shortcut.